Description

As violent conflicts become increasingly intra-state rather than inter-state, international migration has rendered them increasingly transnational, as protagonists from each side find themselves in new countries of residence. In spite of leaving their homeland, the grievances and grudges that existed between them are not forgotten and can be passed to the next generation. This book explores the extension of homeland conflicts into transnational space amongst diaspora groups, with particular attention to the interactions between second-generation migrants. Comparative in approach, Diasporas and Homeland Conflicts focuses on the tensions that exist between Kurdish and Turkish populations in Sweden and Germany, examining the effects of hostland policies and politics on the construction, shaping or elimination of homeland conflicts. Drawing on extensive interview material with members of diasporic communities, this book sheds fresh light on the influences exercised on conflict dynamics by state policies on migrant incorporation and multiculturalism, as well as structures of migrant organizations. As such, it will be of interest to scholars of sociology, political science and international studies with interests in migration and diaspora, integration and transnational conflict.

Reviews

’Bahar Baser has written an admirable book of great significance to the study of transnational politics and the diffusion of conflict dynamics. Her carefully researched study of Turkish and Kurdish communities in Sweden and Germany provides a rich context to investigate how conflicts are imported from civil wars in the homeland. Students of comparative politics and globalization should read this account to understand how transnational processes and actors increasingly shape political outcomes in both homelands and host countries.’ Terrence Lyons, George Mason University, USA ’Bahar Baser has produced a wonderful book, which successfully combines rigorous research with searing human stories from the Kurdish/Turkish case. In the burgeoning literature in migration studies, this book should be regarded as being an indispensable addition for anyone interested in the intersections between diasporas and conflict, including students, practitioners - and hopefully some policy makers too.’ Feargal Cochrane, University of Kent, UK ’Based on extensive interviews and field research, this book makes an important critical contribution to the study of diasporas and imported conflicts. Baser’s comparative approach brilliantly reveals how opportunity structures in the host country help shape the political mobilization of diaspora groups. It should be read by students of Swedish and German politics, Kurdish politics, ethnic conflicts, and diaspora studies alike!’ Paul T. Levin, Stockholm University, Sweden 'Baser sheds new light on diaspora politics by investigating how domestic conflicts are brought into new geographies as a result of migration and how these contentions endure over generations. Looking into the diffusion of what she describes as the low-scale civil war in Turkey�, the author takes on the conversion of the Kurdish/Turkish problem into domestic controversies in Sweden and Germany, two host countries to Kurdish and Turkish migrants. The book stands

About the Author

Bahar Baser is Research Fellow, Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations, Coventry University and Swedish Institute Postdoctoral Research Fellow at the Stockholm University Institute for Turkish Studies (SUITS), Sweden.

About the Series

Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations Series

The Research in Migration and Ethnic Relations series has been at the forefront of research in its field for over ten years. The series has built an international reputation for cutting edge theoretical work, for comparative research, particularly on Europe, and for nationally-based studies with broader relevance to international issues. Published in association with the European Research Centre on Migration and Ethnic Relations (ERCOMER), Utrecht University, it draws contributions from the best international scholars in the field, offering an interdisciplinary perspective on some of the key issues facing the contemporary world.